With These Hands
by mirror alchemist
Summary: Sorta sequel to "Detention". After an accidental discovery, MC tries to make things right. Along the way she realizes that maybe her feelings aren't so bad to have. Or entirely exclusive... T because MC swears for real.


Hello~ Thank you for the views for the last one-shot I did.

Here's the sorta sequel to "Detention". It's not really necessary to read it, but it does reference it at a few points. It also refers to some canon in ep.11 and 12 but then smashes it in the balls.

I dunno why I didn't say this earlier, but my MCL account is mirroralchemist if you're curious. I don't do much there but just play.

I still don't know how to write fluff well but I feel happy about the outcome of this. Koizumi Kohei's songs helped me in the mindset. Completely underrated in my opinion.

Oh warning, there's some language in the middle. But not horrible.

Anyway I don't own MCL or the characters canon to it.

* * *

**With these Hands**

_A thick forest._

_Night approaching._

_"Mir, I'm sorry for getting us lost. I shouldn't have suggested this shortcut."_

_"It's fine. We'll eventually find our 't worry."_

_ There was a large rock formation. She climbs it. A missed step. She falls._

_"Oww..."_

_"Mir!"_

_"I'm fine, I think I twisted my ankle though."_

_ He held out a hand._

_"Get on my back, we can't make that worse."_

_ For a moment, she hesitates. The last time there was contact it became too personal. She couldn't stand a repeat. _

_"Come on Mir." _

_'This is silly.'_

_ She takes his hand. Slowly, she climbs on his back. They began to walk again. She could feel every step. The walk was silent, save for the sounds of forest around them. Then they stopped. She looked around. The clearing was littered with the glowing lights of fireflies. _

_The two stood there in awe of the scene. _

_ The time seemed right. She had to clear the situation. Even if she didn't quite know what happened herself. She shifted against him._

_"Mir, you okay? Does it hurt worse?"_

_"No," she says softly, "it's not that. About what happened a couple months ago. I-"_

_ Through the clearing another person appears to the two. For a slight moment, she frowns. In the end she couldn't say it._

_"Thank god, we've been looking for you two! I'll call off the search party."_

* * *

"How can you two get lost on a brightly marked trail!"

It took a lot of willpower to not sigh in front of the principal. I don't think sighing would make the lecture go any faster. If she had gripped the papers any tighter, they could have ripped. I glanced a look at Nathaniel. I'm not too sure if he's used to such a scolding. And then I looked back at the principal. It was almost as if she wanted me to say something.

But I kept quiet.

What could I say?

"Ma'am, it was my fault. I suggested we take a shortcut." Nathaniel admitted.

"I don't care whose fault it is!" she said back, "All that planning for nothing! Now you two will see Mr. Faraize and apologize to him!"

We both gave a slight nod as we left the office. There was nothing we could say. We messed up, badly. Got everyone worried about us. I could only think about how my parents are going to react to that. Getting into fights is one thing. But being lost in a forest?

I hope they don't transfer me out for that.

"Mir, I'm sorry."

I perked my head over.

"No no, it's fine. Really." I explained.

"But still...you got hurt. I'm not a good friend aren't I?"

I glanced down at my right ankle. It was wrapped up from the fall I took last night. Definitely swollen, but nothing needing medical attention.

"I said I was fine. You told me not to climb up so fast and I did. That's my bad." I said with a small laugh.

"I know but.." Nathaniel started.

I placed my hand on his shoulder. It looked like he winced a little from the contact. But I smiled at him. Sure he may have lost the map in the first place, and got us lost. But I didn't blame him. It would probably be the same if the positions were switched. We separated as I went towards the courtyard to work on my punishment. Which really involved just cleaning the teacher's lounge.

Though I had to question why someone would have a pair of pants in there.

Anyway as far as everything went, I paid my dues for the stint at the race. Though as I found out, that stint was the talk of the school as the day went on. I'm not used to such talk so it was a little overwhelming. I had bumped into Nathaniel a few times in the hallway, but he seemed different from earlier.

I had to guess, he was mad about something.

And he wasn't in his usual clothing.

It was after school when I was approached by some of the girls of the school. Apparently, they wanted me to get a peek at Lysander's tattoo. Considering that I'm on good terms with him.

I suppose one of my weaknesses is that I can't say no when pressured like that.

So that what lead me to the boy's locker room in the gym. Yep, that's right. I'm peeping in a locker room for a tattoo. I hear some footsteps so I quickly get inside one of the unused lockers. It was a bit of a tight fit though. Anyway, there was someone right across from where I was hiding. I couldn't really tell who with the vents blocking their face. I felt my face heat up seeing them take their shirt off.

And I sound like a pervert.

Anyway I saw splotches of dark marks all over their back and ribs. Big splotches. Before I could stop myself, I kicked out of the locker to see the person.

"Mir?..."

It was Nathaniel.

There was a long moment of silence between us. I think the fullness of the situation was sinking in.

"Are you-"

"What are you doing here!" he shouted at me.

I stepped back, rarely hearing him shout. I noticed he quickly put on and zipped up the sweat jacket. I wanted to say anything really. But my mind was not coming up with any words. I think my silence made the situation worse. I hadn't seen him glare at me like that before. He then stormed out of the room. It took a few more moments before I realized I had to get leaving too. I had someone mad at me, I shouldn't get it to escalate to staff.

When I left, the seriousness of the situation kicked in my brain. I messed up. Pretty badly. I needed to talk to Nathaniel to clear things up. I didn't want to think about him being angry at me. I looked around the courtyard. I had a thought to check the greenhouse. But I remembered he's allergic to pollen so it wouldn't do any good to be there. I went inside the school building instead. I then made a beeline to the student council room. He had to be there. I rarely see him anywhere else. As I went in, Melody was there. Melody is one of the newer members of the council. I had went to a sleepover of hers a while back so we're good friends.

Though she had admitted to me offhand that she has developed a crush on our president.

"Mel, great timing." I said.

She seemed surprised that I was there.

"Oh! Mir, what can I do for you?"

"Has Nathaniel been here? Like maybe a few minutes ago?" I asked.

"Hmm...no. He been acting a bit off all day though." she noted.

She has no idea.

I quickly thanked her and headed out of the room. Man, I didn't know how hard it would be to find someone. A part of me just wanted to go home and try again in the morning. But I couldn't. More maybe I wouldn't. It didn't feel right to leave things as it is. It's already too long as it is now. I started to run to the next hall. But stopped midway.

"Oh it's you." said Amber.

I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to deal with her. Not right now. She still didn't forget the time I got her suspended or the bruise I left on her jaw when she came back.

Of course I didn't forget the scratch she left on my cheek.

I wonder if she figured out I gave her the completely wrong answers on the exam?

"Amber." I said pointedly.

The two of us glared at each other for a while. It's very obvious that we don't like each other at all. But she is Nathaniel's sister. I sighed. I have a feeling I'll be regretting what I'm about to do.

"Look Amber. Have you seen your brother? I'm looking for him." I asked.

"Nathaniel? Hmm, maybe." she answered, "Why would someone like you want to find him?"

I shifted from side to side. I wasn't sure if I was comfortable to explaining myself. On the one hand. Amber probably knows about the bruises. But then again, Amber is Amber. I heaved another sigh.

"Listen, I saw the bruises. I wanted to apologize to him about that. I don't want him mad at me." I admitted.

For the slightest moment, I saw her shocked. Just a slight widening of the eyes and the raise of an eyebrow. She folded her arms as she looked at me.

"And you aren't the least bit curious about how he got them?" she asked me.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't. Of course I would like to know. No one gets that many marks with no reason. And I had to wonder why he didn't say anything earlier. We're friends right?

Amber could see my struggling to answer her question. And she smirked.

"I could tell you. But it'll cost you."

"Humor me." I said dryly

"There's a new cell model out. If I could have that. Then..."

I stared at her.

I was stunned.

That model is nearly three-hundred dollars.

Not that I don't have the money. My parents send me money every month and since I don't need much, I have a lot saved away. But three-hundred dollars. But more than that, I can't believe she was exploiting this for her gain.

"No Amber." I said flatly, "I'm not playing this game with you. I'll find him myself."

"Now wait." she said.

I glared hard at her.

"No Amber. I'm not doing this. Not to him. How dare you anyway? You almost sound like a whore."

Amber looked at me as if she's been slapped. She might as well been. The longer I stayed, the more tempting it was to act out on it.

"How dare you!" she shouted at me.

"I'm not the one offering information for items. Now listen, I'm asking you politely to move."

"Or you'll do what _Ami_?" she challenged.

She did not just call me by my name.

"Are you fucking dense?" I asked her back. "I punched you in the jaw the last time you wanted to fight me. I'm not in the mood. Now move or I will give you an ass beating you truly deserve."

After a while, Amber moved aside. I gave her another warning glance before moving into the next hall. When I got there, I let out a sigh of relief. There was Nathaniel. But he was just standing there. I slowed my footsteps to a stop. Then I took a few breaths. I had to approach this calmly.

"Nathaniel?" I said softly.

He turned to look at me. I could still see he was angry at me. But it wasn't telling me to go away, so I walked closer. I felt my mind starting to go blank again. I shook my head. No! I couldn't let that happen again.

"I'm sorry." I finally said.

He didn't say anything.

I shifted from side to side under his glare. I waited for the eventual scolding. But nothing came. When I glanced at his face, he was still glaring.

"I didn't mean for that to happen," I started again, "I was doing something stupid for the girls and try to peek at Lys' tattoo."

"So you figured that going into the boys locker room and hiding was the best way Ami." he replied flatly.

I winced at him using my name. But hearing him basically repeat my actions did sound stupider than I first thought.

"Yeah, I realize that was stupid of me. I should have said no. I didn't expect to see you though."

We looked at each other for a long while. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He kept himself guarded. Unreadable actually. Then he just simply turned around and headed for the stairs. I stared at his back.

Was he ignoring me?

Before I knew it, I ran up and caught his arm in the middle of the stairway.

"That's it?" I asked, "No yelling, no forgiving. Nothing?"

"And let me guess, you'll want to know how? Are you going to look into my records again?" he asked back.

Ouch.

Deserved, but _ouch_.

I looked away from him. I felt uncomfortable. He could read me well. And I hated that somewhat. Had I really made myself out like that? I felt my hands shake. Why were they trembling? That trembling seemed to hit my very core.

I don't know if I was shaking with anger, or sadness.

"Are you stupid too?" I asked, "I learned my lesson from then. I understand you don't want to talk about it. I won't even bring it up. Just...don't ignore me."

I blushed at the admission. It was a part of myself I didn't want to easily admit. Eventually you learn to cope with parents that leave a lot on business. My coping is to not let anyone get that close. But Nathaniel was different.

I don't know exactly when it happened.

But somewhere along the way, he felt more than a friend.

I felt a hand on top of mines. I turned to look at him. He didn't look angry. I'm not sure what he emotion he was displaying now. He still held up that slightly guarded feeling. Slowly I saw him ease into a smile.

"Ami...I can't stay angry at you. Just, lets not talk about it." he finally said.

I nodded my head. I felt as if a weight was lifted. I loosened my hold on his jacket. But I had noticed that he hadn't let go of my hand. I started to have that feeling again like in the nurse's office.

I was honestly terrified of it.

So I tried to run.

"Mir! Stop." he said.

I could tell my heart was beating faster. I started to struggle more. I couldn't take this feeling. Not like this. I can't let him in. So much time spent keeping only an arm's length relationship with people that weren't family. I'd be fine without anything closer.

"Mir..." he murmured again.

Before I knew it, I was leaning into his chest. I felt his arms around me. I shuddered at the sensation. I wasn't used to having people hold me like this. I wasn't used to people seeing this side of me. I always wanted to show that I was fine.

That I could never get lonely.

I felt his hand smooth my hair. Like a petting somewhat. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be. I could say it was comforting.

"I'm sorry." I said again.

"It's okay." he assured me.

I separated from him for a bit and looked into his eyes. Then I shook my head.

"Not that. About earlier. I don't usually do that."

I took a seat at the stairs. I let out a small breath. I stared into my hands. I felt Nathaniel's hand on my back. I shuddered slightly. The touching still made me feel a bit uneasy. But it wasn't a completely unwelcome touch.

"You don't need to force yourself to explain." he told me.

I nodded in reply. After a while I got up. It started to get late, Auntie would be worried about me if I didn't come home soon. I turned to face Nathaniel and gave a small bow.

"Thanks. I should get to going home."

"Wait, I'll walk with you. I wouldn't feel right letting you walk by yourself."

I blushed again. It was fine really. I could have taken the bus. But I didn't feel right denying his offer. It was the least I can do after what I did today.

"Well if you insist."

We were going to meet at the entryway to the school in a few minutes. So I went to my locker and got my bag out of there. I paused for a moment. Didn't this happen before?

That's right. It was when I thought the school was haunted by a ghost.

I closed my locker and made my way towards the meeting spot. I hadn't realized how quiet the school was until then. I smiled lightly when I saw Nathaniel at the doors waiting.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

I nodded as we walked side by side out of the school. The city was pretty quiet too. Mostly people getting the last bit of errands or jogging done before night fell. Nathaniel and I talked mostly about school dealings. It was almost like it was when we first became friends. It was comfortable. It was always nice to hear about his going-ons in student council. Despite how stressful it looked for him. He seemed to genuinely liked it.

I'm not too sure when it happened, but I felt his hand intertwine with mines. I stopped for a moment to look at it. It was odd.

I wasn't as fearful of it as earlier.

"Mir?" he called to me.

I stared at him for a moment and shook my head. I laced my fingers with his. For a moment, I saw his eyes widen. But he smiled at me. And I smiled back.

It's a start.

All too soon we arrived at my doorstep. The sun had almost finished setting when we arrived. Never once did we break out hand contact. The most it lingered, the less it felt weird. Maybe, I just needed to get used to it?

But now, I wished he didn't have to leave.

"Thank you." I said meekly.

"It's not a problem Mir. It was a pleasure." he said back.

Reluctantly, we let out hands go. I always already missing the warmth. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear. I wasn't really sure how I could end this day. So much happened, it's a bit overwhelming. I took a deep breath and looked at him.

"Nathaniel..." I started, "um, I really like you. I enjoy spending time with you. And I was hoping we can do more. Preferably after school hours?"

I shifted from side to side as I told him this. I'm surprised that my head hasn't exploded or anything with the amount of blushing I've done today. And I was terrible at expressing a want like this.

"Nevermind, that sounded stupid." I said.

I started to reach for my keys before I felt him stop my hand. Quickly we closed the gap between us. Then I felt a light kiss on my forehead. Then a pat on my head.

"It didn't." he assured me, "And I would love to."

I couldn't help but grin. I hadn't felt happy like this in a long while. Pretty up there of my parents showing up together to have an outing. Before I knew it, I put my arms around his shoulders and hugged him deeply. It was only a second I realized what I did and stepped back. I didn't remember that those bruise might actually hurt.

"Sorry." I said sheepishly.

He let out a chuckle. It was warming to see him smile like usual again.

"It's alright Mir. I should get going."

"Take care."

He seemed to have stopped for a moment. I was a little confused. He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned in.

And then he kissed me.

Oh. My. God.

Nathaniel kissed me.

Now it wasn't deeply passionate or anything like that. Tame by others standards. But I really didn't care. When he separated, he looked as red as I did. The shock of it was wearing off pretty quick. As I found out, I wasn't panicking from the display at all.

I actually liked it.

I wouldn't have minded a second actually.

I leaned in again to return with a kiss of my own. I guess I was doing it right? It's really hard to tell when two people are inexperienced.

"Ami~ darling~!"

Until my aunt opened the front door.

In her fairy outfit.

I nearly backed into the stair rail from being so surprised. I'm used to her eccentric nature and dress. But I didn't want anyone to find out about her this way.

"Auntie~!" I whined.

"It's getting dark out Hun, come on in. You've been standing out with your boyfriend for too long."

If I had drunk something I would have sputtered it out right then. I heard her laugh as she walked back into the house. I looked over at Nathaniel.

He was laughing.

Pretty hard too.

"I can definitely see that you two are related." he remarked.

I threw a tired glance at him. But I couldn't help but smile. I couldn't stay mad at my aunt. Even if she did kill the moment.

"Thank you Mir." he said.

"Ami." I corrected, "My 'boyfriend' shouldn't be calling me by my nickname everyone else does."

I got a good laugh seeing him get embarrassed for a change. I watched as he walked down the stairs to the sidewalk.

"Good night Ami."

I gave a small wave.

"Good night."

* * *

That ending was so cheesy I know. This turned out completely different from the middle on then what I had originally planned. But I like it this way.

Also I really love the aunt. She brings a legit smile to my face when I wound up finding her.

Anyway, thanks for reading!


End file.
